Binary Drop
by Mezerein
Summary: A mute and his friends go out and experience the world outside of their humble, rural town. It was supposed to be a fun journey that was going to teach them about the beauties of the world. But, hardships and death loom over them, and only time will tell if they could make it through it or become engulfed in despair. Welcome to Binary Drop: A White Nuzlocke Story.
1. Chapter 1

Heyo, so here's an author's note before the story starts. Feel free to disregard this if you just want to get to the content, but I'll leave this here anyways. So, this'll be a novel adaptation to the nuzlocke that I'm currently playing through. This'll be my first real story that I'm putting a lot of time and effort into, so there might be mistakes and the like, but it's all part of a learning process. Feel free to leave criticisms and the like whenever you feel like it; I'll always be up to suggestions.

Now for the story itself. For the most part, it'll be in the perspective in our main protagonist, but things may or may not change as time goes on. The only constant characters throughout the story will be the human characters in the games, since pokemon are liable to die at any point within the context of a nuzlocke. In addition to this, characters may mesh together based on what the game give me nature and trait wise, but I'll be doing my best to differentiate the party members as much as possible. Just as a warning, there will be a fair bit of exposition and action may be slow to come early on as I want to have a good character basis before too much happens. This will be a very character driven story, so it's key that the characters are kind of dynamic and interesting.

Update wise, I'll be aiming for a chapter every week or two weeks, but I can't promise anything due to work and having a social life. The chapters themselves will always focus on one area, with the exception of the first two chapters being in Nuvema Town. There might be some adjustments depending on the area (ie. Route 4, Desert Resort, and the Relic Castle being covered in the same chapter) but only time will tell.

But, without further ado (if you stuck around for that spiel), I present to you, Binary Drop: A White Nuzlocke Story!

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A New Dawn, Literally.**

*DING DING DING*

The echos of my home's doorbell reverberated throughout the household, rousing me from my oh so peaceful slumber. I can't see much thanks to my sleep induced daze, but I can kind of make out the time on the digital clock next to my bed. It's 5:00. What kind of maniac goes up to people's houses at five in the morning? Regardless, I'd have to go answer the doorbell for the maniac in question. Mom's too exhausted from working two jobs to sustain us, so I at least owe her that. Things have been tough since dad isn't here to help us out anymore. Anyways, I groggily made my way out of my bed and towards the door, clad in nothing but my pajamas and my horribly disheveled hair. I made it downstairs without sustaining any casualties, and upon opening the front door, I was greeted by Professor Juniper, donning her usual labcoat and signature hairstyle. I should've figured as much, she didn't seem like the type to ever get any rest. She's far too eccentric for mundane activities like sleep.

"Heyo! I've got a present for ya. It's your lucky day Laika!" She was grinning from ear to ear, and upon rubbing my eyes to see a bit better, I noticed the two boxes that she was carrying. One was a really large box, taking both of Juniper's arms to lift, and even then, it looked like she was struggling. On top of that one was a much smaller box, about the size of a brick if I had to guess.

I gestured her over to the coffee table near the door to place down the boxes, and she gladly hobbled over to the table to do just that. "Whew! I gotta get in better shape. Carrying those boxes was hell on the arms." I nodded in agreement. She was panting and in a cold sweat by the time she placed down the boxes. Anyways, since she looked tired out from that activity, I pointed towards one of the chairs surrounding the table, and got up to get a glass of water for the poor professor. She plopped herself down unceremoniously on the chair, and gulped down the glass of water in two seconds flat. Kind of unnerving, but hey, it's Professor Juniper. She does these kinds of things regularly.

"You're probably wondering why I came to your house at this odd hour in the morning aren't cha? Well, like I said before, today's your lucky day. I'm gonna give you the chance to go on your very own pokemon adventure!" Upon hearing those words, I cocked my head to the side in confusion. I thought mom wanted me to stay at home and do something normal like school; that's why she made me stay at home for the past 16 years rather than letting me go on an adventure at the age of 10. Juniper looks like she picked up on my confusion, and shot me a grin in response. "Don't worry about a thing Laika. I talked it over with your mom, and she said that it's all right. In fact, she wants you to go out and experience the world now that you're a bit older. I mean, going out on your own at the age of ten is pretty dangerous, and it would be even more dangerous for someone in your condition." Aside from the pang of annoyance I felt when she took a jab at my disability, what she said sent a wave of joy down my body. It was exciting. I get to do what every kid's been raving about ever since they were born.

"You're curious about what's in the two boxes here, aren't cha? Well, one of them should be obvious. You're gonna need some pokemon if you want to go on a journey. The big box here has a selection of three pokemon for you to start out with. The other is something special from me to you. Go ahead, open it." Reaching over the table and prying the smaller box open, I saw that it contained some kind of earpiece, kind of like a bluetooth headset that you place on one ear. Seems kind of unnecessary, I mean I have my own pair of earphones that I rather enjoy using. I turned my head and my face scrunched in mild confusion. But like before, Juniper caught on and started explaining.

"That's no ordinary headset; it's the fruit of the Juniper Lab's research! For the first time ever, we have a means of transcribing pokemon speech into a human language! It's one of our pre-release prototypes, so it's not perfect, but it should be accurate for the most part. I know how much you love pokemon, so think of this as a little bonus for having a bit of patience and delaying your journey for your mother's sake." Now, that made things a lot more interesting. I wanted to see just how this works, so I seized the device, clipped it onto my ear, and made my way towards the box to pick out my partner. But before I could open the box, Professor Juniper grabbed my hand to stop me.

"Now now, you'll have to be a little more patient. You're not the only one going on a journey today. Bianca and Cheren are also starting today, so you all get to stay together for a bit longer! I'm gonna tell them to come to your house around 10 AM so you guys could all pick out your first partners together, so wait a bit for their sake. Well, I gotta run and get things done. The morning's still young and there's still so much work to do." On that note, she got up and briskly jogged out of my house, closing the door on her way out. Well, that was a whirlwind of new info to process in a short timeframe. Regardless, I feel hyped. Adventure and excitement is waiting just around the corner, but I guess I'll be a good person for now. Cheren and Bianca are both really good friends, and they made life here not quite as boring as it could've been. Placing the translator back into its box, I picked up the two boxes and made my way back to my room.

Upon arrival, I placed the big box soundly on the big table in my room while my translator was plopped on the little desk next to my bed. I noticed the time when I was placing all of the boxes down: 5:15 AM. It's still too early to really be out and about, so it's time for bed time again. Crawling under the covers, I closed my eyes, envisioning the excitement that'll come in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Nonsense in Nuvema**

Colors, noises, and excitement were abound in the finals of the Unova League Championship. The battle was down to the wire, and with a deft blow to the chest with a hydro pump, the enemy Charizard is down. It's all over, I've won! I leaped over the guardrails and ran towards my faithful Feraligatr, who scooped me up in a strong bear hug upon my arrival. The stadium was roaring with cheers, so much that the words of my Feraligatr were getting muffled from the surrounding noise. I can't really decipher much of what he's saying, only fragments.

"...hey, Laika… come on man, get up…." Um…, seems like something odd to say when we've just won the championship. What would getting up even mean in the circumstance?

In the midst of my mental questioning, everything suddenly faded to black, and I was met with a quick blow to the front of my body.

Turns out that I wasn't a winner, and I was just a boy that tumbled off of his bed and straight onto the floor. My face ached, and the rest of my body roared in protest as I struggled to get up. Turning around, I saw Cheren right next to me, standing there with his arms crossed and donning a rather bored expression. "About time you got up. I've been prodding you for a good couple minutes now." Rubbing my eyes, I turned to face my digital clock to see that it was only 9:00. Figures that Cheren was unnecessarily early. He always wanted to be first at everything, given the opportunity.

Feeling a bit annoyed that my sleep was so rudely interrupted, I angrily pointed at the clock, awaiting Cheren's response. He simply adjusted his glasses and continued speaking with the same bored expression. "Juniper told me to get here by 10 to pick up a starter, but knowing your sleeping habits, I knew that you'd be knocked out if I didn't come now. Now get packed up. Arceus knows that going on an adventure in your pajamas is a terrible idea." On that note, he made his way downstairs. Ugh, mornings. Never liked them.

After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, I started to pack my bag with all of the essentials for a journey. Extra clothes, check. Xtransceiver charger, check. My Xtransceiver itself is with my mom getting some fixes, so I'll get that downstairs. Sketchpad and pencils, check. Most people aren't gonna understand me gesturing to random things, so I'd be better off using my sketchpad to write on. Well, I think this is everything I'd need.

Oh wait. I almost forgot about the earpiece. Walking back to my nightstand, I found the earpiece in pristine condition. Now that I'm substantially more awake, I notice that there really isn't much to it. It really just looks like an earbud that loops around the ear and has a power switch on the side. On the bright side, it's very inconspicuous, so most people won't notice that it's there. Upon clipping it onto my ear and powering it on, there was a sudden hum and I felt a small jolt before silence befell the room again. That was weird, and that kinda hurt too. Juniper didn't mention anything like this when she gave this to me, and there isn't an instruction manual that comes with this thing either. Just an earpiece and a small charging unit. Oh well, shouldn't be much of a problem.

It is now 10:00, and I went downstairs to urge Cheren back into my room now that all the preparations are done. He seemed kind of antsy, pacing back and forth once we were upstairs. "Where is that girl?! I knew I should've stopped by her house to wake her up as well. Bianca's always such a ditz." I tried to put up a smile to calm him down a bit, but it ended up looking more nervous and scared than anything. He didn't seem to notice, and he just spent a bit more time mulling in his own disdain for tardiness. Thankfully, he didn't need to mull for too long as Bianca arrived upstairs shortly after his small outburst.

"Hey guys! Guess I'm a little late again. Soooooooooorry!" She's really as ditzy as ever. Regardless, I love the girl for just being so kind and off the wall. But since she's here, it's time to get the adventure started. "Um.., so where are the pokemon? There's in the box right? Sooo, Laika, since Professor Juniper delivered the box here, you should get first pick."

"That makes sense. Naturally, Professor Juniper must have had some reason for delivering the box to Laika's home, so he should get the honors." Guess I'll have the pleasure of meeting our companions first. Stepping forwards towards the neatly wrapped box, there were 3 pokeballs inside with a note accompanying them. The note read:

 _"I've brought three Pokémon, one for you and one for each of your friends. Please settle your choices politely. Enjoy your Pokémon!"_

How nice of her. But, I can't see through the plastic of the pokeballs, so I have no idea what any of them contain. So, I hatched a brilliant course of action. I grabbed all of the balls and released them one at a time. One by one, our prospective partners emerged from the balls in a stream of light. The first was a green snake like creature that kind of reminded me of Cheren. At least, it had the same kind of aura that said, "Hey, I think I'm better than you." He just stood there silently examining the room with a rather bored looking expression.

The next one was an orange pig like creature. Contrasting with his calm green counterpart, his entrance was rather explosive, with him running about and excitedly oinking. Well, it would sound like oinking to the others, but the translator was actually working for me, so I heard what he was actually saying. To be honest, the oinking in itself got the point across since all he was saying was a mix of "Oh boy!" and "I'm so excited to go on an adventure!" or some variation of two phrases. Bianca seemed to be giggling at the little guy's energy, so I don't think I'll be picking him for her sake.

The last one was a blue and white otter with a shell attached to its chest. To be blunt, he looked genuinely terrified to be here. It felt like he was afraid of… well everything. He looked nervous and was scanning all of the area around him while jittering almost uncontrollably. Felt bad for the little guy, so I felt like I had to do something about it. I reached down to his level and reached out a hand. Flashing a welcoming smile, I urged him to come closer so I could comfort him, or at least try to. The poor guy jumped a bit in fear when I first crouched down, but he kept eye contact and after a couple moments of staring at each other, he responded to my offer and slowly came a little closer. When he got within arm's reach, I reached out and started petting his little head. It was nice and fuzzy, and the little guy started to snuggle into my hand. It was actually adorable, so I kept petting him for a little while longer. He seemed to really like me, to the extent that he latched onto my leg as soon as I stopped petting him. I'd let out a small laugh if I could, but I can't. Seeing the little guy being so clingy, I picked him up and cradled him in my arms as I gave him a little bop on the nose. Poor guy let out a yelp and looked shocked out of his skin, placing his paws on his nose in defense. That made me smile. Well, I think I've found my partner.

"Awww! You two look precious together!" I saw Bianca in the corner of my eye. She may or may not be melting from sensory overload, but I disregarded it. Soon enough, she giddily walked over to us and leaned forward to start talking to the little guy. "Hey there little guy. I'm Bianca, and your buddy here is called Laika. He can't really talk, but I'm sure you'll be great friends with him." The little guy shrank into my arms when she started to approach him, but once she mentioned my name, he got a bit more comfortable and turned to me.

"Lai..ka? Hello… Do you really want to be my friend?" It looked like he was struggling to find the will to speak, and he barely spoke louder than a whisper, but I understood what he meant and nodded my head in approval. That seems to brighten his previously gloomy expression, and he finally let out a small smile. "Thank you... My name's Yarne, and I hope we can become really good friends."

While I was busy bonding with Yarne, Bianca seemed to have grown attached to the rambunctious little pig that was simultaneously running about my room and harassing the little snake. It was running circles around Bianca, and both of them seemed to be having a blast in each other's company, with oinks and laughs echoing throughout the room. In the midst of all the noise, I think I heard the pig say his name a couple times while he was harassing the snake. While he was running around, he would refer to himself in third person and constantly yell things like "Brom is here!" He seemed kind of dense, but I guess his personality fits Bianca's pretty well. They'll complement each other with their shared lack of common sense, and their journey won't be boring at the very least. She finalized my assumption by picking up the energetic piglet and announcing to all of us, "Okay then, if Laika chose that one, than this little guy's coming with me!" Both of their faces were beaming at that announcement, so I'm happy for both of them.

That leaves Cheren with the snake, and oh boy, that snake did not look happy right now. It's understandable, considering the fact that he's all banged up from the pig's roughhousing. He was glaring daggers at the pig, and it looked like he had the fullest intention of running up and mauling the pig right then and there. I don't think Cheren was really deterred by that intimidating glare. Rather, I think he took it upon himself to view that as a challenge. He looked pretty confident when he crouched down to the snake's level and started applying potion on his wounds without uttering a word. This took the snake by surprise, judging by his wide eyed expression, but he quickly tried to compose himself and return to his stoic demeanor. After getting patched up, the snake did a quick bow and started introducing himself to Cheren. "Well, I guess I should thank you for your assistance sir. My name is Veritas, and it appears that we'll be traveling together. Pleased to make your acquaintance." To Cheren, that probably sounded like a bunch of squeaks, hisses, and fragments of his species name, but even so, he looked quite pleased with the fact that the snake said anything at all. Cheren crouched and extended an arm to the snake, and he used that as an opportunity to climb up Cheren's arm and perch himself right on his right shoulder. Picking himself off of the ground, he adjusted his glasses and started addressing all of us.

"While I don't appreciate being last pick, it appears that we all have a partner that fits us pretty well. And just so Bianca doesn't refer to all of our pokemon as 'little guys' for the entire journey, I'll tell your pokemon's species names. Your energetic little pig is called a Tepig, your otter is called an Oshawott, and my companion is called a Snivy." Well, that's nice to know. A disadvantage of this device is that I can't hear pokemon repeat their names ad infinitum while they attempt to communicate with us or each other. But, I think the pros far outweigh the cons in this situation. Bianca also seemed to be happy to get this information, since she was smiling really hard and seemed really excited to say something.

"While knowing my pokemon's species name is nice and all, I think we're forgetting something now that we're all trainers. Oh Laika~~, get ready, cuz we're gonna have a battle right now!" She seemed pumped, although I really didn't peg her for the type that would want to battle. She seemed more like a contest or pageant type of person.

"Bianca, having a battle in a room filled with fragile appliances and precious belongings doesn't seem like the brightest of ideas. In fact, it sounds like the exact opposite; a stroke of pure undiluted stupidity." Wow, Cheren still doesn't pull any punches when he's talking about Bianca's unique set of priorities.

"Oh come on, what's the worst that could happen? Everything'll be fine. Besides, pokemon need to battle if they want to get stronger, so it's better to start early. Well, Tepig, get ready for a fight!" At those word, Brom really started to get fired up, pun kind of intended. He started yelling incoherently in third person again, and I think that was scaring Yarne. Speaking of Yarne, he was still in my arms and attempted to shrink deeper into them in an attempt to hide from the prospect of violence. I'm not too big on the whole fighting thing either, but since we're going on a journey together, we're gonna have to get stronger, whether we want to or not. I'm doing what I feel is right, so I put Yarne back on the ground in the hopes that he'll catch on. I don't think he did, since he turned back at me with a pleading look. Way to make be feel bad about doing this Yarne. I really wanted to just pick him back up and hug him, but as I was contemplating on what to do next, Bianca's voice cut me off.

"Enough waiting! Tepig, tackle him!"

I think the pig speeding towards him at 20 miles per hour was enough of an incentive to cut the crying and pay attention to the threat at hand. He narrowly dodged the first tackle as Brom lodged himself firmly under my bed. In the few moments that it took Brom to wiggle his way out from under my bed, I made a few tackling motions and pointed towards Brom's exposed butt. Yarne still seemed reluctant to fight but I think he finally realized what he had to do. His posture changed from shrinking to attempting to stand tall as he tried to steel himself for the approaching fight.

"I guess I don't have a choice here, so here I go."

What followed was a mess of bodies getting flung across every corner of my room. Footprints adorned my walls as new decorations, as all of my old decorations were splattered or smashed across the floor. Books, furniture, you name it. If it was part of the average 16 year old's room decor, it was probably destroyed and on the floor. On the bright side, I think Yarne actually won the fight in the end. He was still standing, albeit looking really exhausted, while Brom was sprawled out on the floor collapsed. Bianca had a dumbfounded look after the battle ended, and stayed like that for a good couple moments before saying something.

"Wow…. Pokemon are so amazing! They're so tiny, but so strong! Laika, I'm sure you and Oshawott will grow to be a great team! Oh, and sorry bout the room… Guess Cheren was right about the whole, 'battling indoors is a bad idea' thing. Hehe…" She tried to hide inside of her hat after realizing the damage she's done, but at least she seems genuinely sorry about the whole thing if that nervous laughter at the end was any indication. But hey, it was all in good fun and we have insurance to cover for most of this stuff, I think. Anyways, I'm glad we won our first battle. Although I didn't do much in the way of directing him, things worked out for the best. Or rather, the best for us minus my room. During Bianca's spiel about the power of pokemon, Cheren simply sighed and walked up to our exhausted pokemon, graciously healing them with potions he miraculously spawned out of nowhere. Potions are interesting; they're spray medication, but they manage to heal both flesh wounds and internal injuries almost immediately. Seems wacky and frankly unbelievable, but it works.

"Honestly Bianca, you really make it look like you're hopeless."

"Maybe, but I'm having some fun along the way. Hey, how about you and Laika battle now? Everything's a mess already, and with all you know, you won't make this place any more of a disaster area than I did."

"Actually, I'll take you up on that proposition. Snivy here needs some training as well, and if you're so graciously offering it, it would be rude of me to deny it. Well Laika, prepare yourself!" As he finished his statement, Veritas leapt from Cheren's shoulder and assumed a battle position. Well, so much for resting. Yarne's fine from a physical standpoint, but he didn't look like he wanted to fight again. Regardless, I pushed him forward and made the same tackling motions as before. This time, he simply nodded and got ready for another fight.

Surprisingly, this battle ended a lot quicker than the other. Thanks to the Snivy line's apparent lack of offensive prowess, Yarne really didn't get hurt all that much and Veritas got knocked out within a couple tackles. But hey, we're two for two now.

"Hmm…. Well, it looks like I've still got a long way to go. But this feeling; this rush for battle. I've finally become a trainer, and it's invigorating. But enough about me, I think we should go apologize to your mother for the mess Laika."

"Oh, wait up! I gotta go say sorry too!"

And they're off. The two of them rushed down the stairs at record speed to apologize to mother. She won't mind too much, she's always a bit lax when it comes to those two. But now that all the fighting is over for a bit, I picked up Yarne and gave him a big hug, which he reciprocated in kind. It's a little thank you for all of the effort he put in, since after the group left to apologize, Yarne crumpled to the ground in apparent exhaustion.

"Hey Laika… are we gonna be fighting like this for a while? It's really scary, and I'd like to avoid it if I can."

I give him a slow nod, but I don't think that's enough to articulate what I plan on doing. The pokemon league challenge is going to be a long, and possibly dangerous journey, and gestures won't really get the point across. But, I had an idea; pictures could convey meanings that actions can't. After placing Yarne on my undamaged bed, I dug into my bag and retrieved my sketchpad and pencil. I've found that the best way to explain things is to put everything in a relation based perspective. So I plopped myself down on a chair near an undamaged portion of my desk and began drawing. After drawing one thing, I drew an arrow connecting one event to it's eventual effect, so I could hopefully convey a coherent message.

After a couple minutes, my drawing was complete. It was a four tiered piece, meant to be viewed from top to bottom, left to right. The first picture was a rudimentary figure of me and Yarne, with me pointing outwards in a commanding fashion while Yarne was charging forwards. That picture pointed to a sketch of a standard issue of a pokemon league gym badge. The second tier displayed a case filled with eight of said badges, and that pointed to the extravagant pokemon league building, with it's over the top architecture. This in turn led to the third layer, in which the pokemon league building points towards a trophy, signifying the accomplishment of being the pokemon league champion. The last tier is when things get a little more abstract, as the trophy points towards a younger version of me sleeping, with arrows pointing to the dream clouds emanating from my resting figure. I want to show him that winning the pokemon league has been my dream for the longest time, and I'd like his help in this adventure, even if it involves more fighting that either of us would like.

"Oh, umm… I think I get it. Kind of. If we fight, we get those things. If we get things, we go to a place, then we get another thing. You really wanted this thing since you were little, so that's why we're leaving now. Is that the general idea?"

Turns out that Yarne was looking over my shoulder the entire time. Didn't really notice him climbing up there; guess I was too in the zone. But, Yarne seemed to get the jist of it. Semantics like correct terminology could wait, so I gave him a nod of approval, saying that he's right in all of his assumptions.

"If that's what you really want to do, then I'll trust you. It'll be lonely here if I stay behind since Brom and Veritas are leaving, and it would be fun travelling with a friend. The battles might be scary, but we'll both try our best, and that's what counts right?" Hearing that gave me a warm feeling. Aside from Cheren and Bianca, there really weren't any other kids that I could be friends with, so it's nice to have another buddy so early into my journey. I nodded and smiled at his response and urged him to hop on my shoulder. There's nothing else to do here in this warzone of a bedroom, so we headed downstairs to see my two friends profusely apologizing to mother, with Bianca performing her patented 'hide in hat' strategy.

"Um…, we'll clean up. We're really sorry about the damage there."

"Yes, Bianca's right. We're terribly sorry for all of the trouble we've caused. Please accept our sincerest apologies."

"No worries kids! Honestly, Laika's such a good kid that exciting things like this are few and far between, and Arceus knows that a little excitement won't hurt anybody. Now, don't you two have some wrapping up to do before leaving for your journeys? You really shouldn't keep Juniper waiting for much longer."

"You're right ma'am. Please excuse us. We'll be heading to the lab now. Thank you for having us over!"

"Oh, wait! I totally forgot to tell mama and papa about all of this! Hey Cheren, could you and Laika wait outside the lab for me? I'll be right there, just give me a couple of minutes!"

On that note, Bianca sprinted out of the house, with Brom trailing behind her. Cheren and Veritas just started at them with deadpan expressions before simultaneously releasing sighs. They calmly walked out of the house afterwards, and now it's just me, Yarne, and my mother alone in the living room.

"So, today's the big day! As your mother, it feels a bit strange letting you just go like this, but I'm sure everything will work out for the best. Besides, you have your little buddy there to look out for you, and I know all about the special thing Juniper did for you. You'll make a ton of new friends along the way, and you'll come out of this experience a better person. One last thing before I send you on your way. " Walking into the kitchen from her original spot near the staircase, she retrieved my Xtransceiver and a small wrapped box. "Your watch here is back from the repair shop with a couple of surprise augments that I requested. It'll work like any other Xtransceiver, but I told them to add a virtual keyboard and voice software for you. You'll be able to chat with your friends and use the keyboard to type commands that the software will say for you. And the small box here is just a packed lunch for you and your little Oshawott. Eat it whenever; it'll be a taste of home wherever you are."

Wow, didn't expect this many gifts in this short of a time span, but I certainly won't complain about it. I walked up to mother and received the gifts. Once the packed lunch was safely put in my bag, I strapped on my Xtransceiver and booted up this new software. Once the application was launched, my Xtransceiver shot out a light projection of a keyboard right in front of me. Well, I thought it was light, but whenever I motion over one of the keys, my Xtransceiver displays the corresponding key as an input. Science really could do anything in this day and age. But, this was my change to finally say something. Quickly typing in this new keyboard, I pressed the enter key and a cold, metallic voice filled the air.

"THANK YOU MOTHER. I LOVE IT, AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE FOR ME."

I didn't quite expect that type of voice. With the type of technology we have available, you'd think that people would try to make the voice a little human like. But even with the voice's lack of emotion, the intent from my message came through, and I found myself in the embrace of my mother.

"My little boy's all grown up now. Just remember, you'll always have a home here if things go sour. The journey is going to be tough, but you'll experience the world in so many different ways. I certainly did when I went on mine, considering that I met dad while I was tearing through the pokemon league. Now go on and get going! Juniper's wait for you back at the lab, and it's rude to keep her waiting."

With a quick pet to Yarne's head and a wave goodbye, we left the house and were greeted by the trifecta of cool autumn weather, bright morning sunlight, and a fresh sea breeze. It's great having this scenic view of the ocean, since the sea's only a couple feet away from my house, but now it's time to move away from that and move towards the lab. Walking along the dirt path, I saw Cheren standing my the gates of the lab, and judging by the fact that he was alone with Veritas, I think it's safe to assume that Bianca's having a little problem back home. So, I decide to backtrack a little, and go down the path towards Bianca's house. Our town's small enough that all of our houses are within a couple yards of eachother, so we have absolutely no problem meeting eachother whenever we want to.

While I expected some problem to arise from Bianca's parents, I certainly didn't expect there to be yelling to the extent that I could hear her dad's voice from a good couple yards away from her house. That's certainly not good. Her dad never really thought much of her; she's always his little princess that can't do anything by herself. Things might get worse if I don't hurry, so I started to run. As I was making the turn towards her front door, I saw the door slam open as Bianca ran out of the house with Brom following her. Now that the door's open, I could very clearly hear her dad's beratement, and it wasn't pleasant. But nevermind that, Bianca just ran right past me, and she looked pretty upset.

She didn't run too far. In fact, she only ran towards the back of her own house before plopping herself down on the floor with a hollow looking expression. Brom almost immediately jumped towards her in an attempt to comfort her, but she didn't really respond. It was only when I walked up and tapped her on her shoulder that she got out of her daze and said something.

"Oh, Laika. You… heard everything that happened there, didn't you?" I nodded. Her expression suddenly warped from deadpan to deathly embarrassed. She look quite pitiful here to be honest.

"It's fine. It's all fine Laika! Don't you worry about a thing; dad's always kind of loud, abrasive, mean, and generally awful, but I'm fine! Look, I'll go ahead to the lab. Professor Juniper's probably getting pretty impatient right now!"

Before she ran off, I grabbed her arm and stopped her in her tracks. She looked shocked at this development, but stood still once I released her. Activating the keyboard on my Xtransceiver, I quickly typed a message and the metallic voice rung through the autumn air.

"IT'S ALRIGHT BIANCA. REMEMBER, WE'RE HERE FOR YOU IF YOU NEED US. WE'RE FRIENDS AND FRIENDS ARE MEANT TO STICK TOGETHER."

She looked shocked at the fact that my Xtransceiver started speaking for me, but that shock quickly dissipated and a look of gratitude replaced it. "Thank you," she said in almost a whisper, as she turned around and made her way for the lab. I followed shortly after her, but I'm still worried about her well being. Hopefully, the adventure might help out with these family problems, or at least build Bianca up to the point that she won't be so hurt by her father's words. But while I was think about this stuff, I heard Yarne saying something in a meek voice while he was still perched on my shoulder.

"Hey Laika, this might not be the best time to ask this, considering what just happened. But I was wondering, if you don't mind answering, why exactly can't you speak?" Oh yeah, I never really explained that. It's not too big of a deal, so I type a message and the voice explains everything.

"I WAS BORN THAT WAY. NEVER COULD SPEAK MY ENTIRE LIFE, BUT THAT'S OKAY WITH ME."

"So it was just something that was always a part of you. Regardless, I still like you regardless of your speech issues. I was curious is all, and other pokemon that might join us will probably ask the same question. I'll just explain the situation when things come to that." Well, that's convenient. Saves me some trouble down the line, and I appreciate the fact that Yarne's legitimately curious about me. I was worried that he might retreat into a meek shell and be scared of everything, but I think he'll be alright as long as he's with me.

The walk to the lab didn't take long, and I see Cheren interrogating Bianca about why she was so tardy to the meeting. Hope he's not too harsh on her after what just happened, he never really had the best people skills. Once I walked up to them, they stopped their little squabble, and we all decided to walk into the lab. Professor Juniper was waiting there, impatiently stomping her foot on the ground while grumbling to herself. She didn't seem to notice us as we walked in, so I decided to use my new toy to get her attention.

"PROFESSOR JUNIPER! WE HAVE ARRIVED TO STEAL YOUR COOKIES!"

"Huh?! No way man! I need sugar to live! Come out here, I'll smack you right in the gabber!" Professor Juniper actually started looking around the lab while assuming a boxing stance. I didn't expect that much of a reaction, but hey, it's Professor Juniper. Cheren just gave me a judgemental look as I made my Xtransceiver say that while Bianca was giggling at Professor Juniper's antics. Professor Juniper didn't notice us for a good couple of minutes; she was too caught up in finding the hidden cookie captor. This went on for a little bit longer before Cheren decided that he had enough nonsense for the day and called out to the professor.

"Um, Professor? It's us, Cheren, Bianca, and Laika. We were told to come here. I presume you have something for us."

"Oh, hi guys. There was just this weird dude that said that they were gonna steal my cookies, but I think I scared him off. Anyways, welcome! I've been waiting for you all! My name is..."

"Professor Juniper. We've known you for most of our lives."

"Don't be such a buzzkill, Cheren! You only get one start to a pokemon journey, so at least try to be more excited about this! Now, where was I? Oh yeah, my name's Professor Juniper, and I'm a researcher doing studies on these mysterious creatures called pokemon. My field of expertise is the origin of pokemon, and I've called you all here today to ask for your assistance. I've given you all one pokemon to accompany you on your journey around Unova, and my favor is for you all to fill out these!" Upon saying those words, she spawned three cell phones esque devices.

"Oh, pokedexes. They're high tech pokemon encyclopedias that automatically record data about encountered pokemon and contain a database for analyzing your own team for their battle parameters. They're quite the remarkable device." Surprise, surprise, Cheren knows what these things are. He practically lives in pokemon research books, so this is probably child's play for him.

"Come on Cheren, don't steal my thunder like that! Those were totally my lines!" Professor Juniper started pouting at Cheren after he cut her off twice. But, in typical Juniper fashion, she shrugged off any sort of bad mood and returned to her normal energetic self. "Anyways, what Cheren said was all correct, and what I want you guys to do is to go around and fill out as many entries as possible. Unova's a big place, and it would be great to get some help from you guys. You'll do it right?" Professor Juniper seemed to be getting really excited about this, more so than she usually is. With everything she's done for us so far, I feel like it would be an injustice to say no to her. Besides, that pokedex thing seems like another fun toy to mess with. I nod in approval, with Bianca and Cheren agreeing to her proposition as well.

"Excellent! You've all given me the best answer possible! Now then, take these pokedexes and meet me in route 1. I'll need to give you all a crash course on catching pokemon!" On that note, she shoved the pokedexes into all of our respective hands, and proceeded to sprint out of her own lab. Well, there she goes. I really don't know where all of her energy come from.

But now that it's a fair bit more quiet in the lab, I have a chance to mess with this pokedex thing. Pressing the middle button, it suddenly lights up and shows me a big options screen. There's the usual encyclopedia portion of the pokedex, but there was also a status checker on this thing. Upon clicking the button for the status checker, the pokedex started firing a bright red light in front of it in a scanning motion. I think I have an idea of what to do. I pick Yarne off of my shoulder and place him on the ground, then start having the pokedex analyze him with that beam of red light. After a couple of seconds, the pokedex starts displaying a bunch of numbers and parameters about the little guy.

A lot of the numbers and words there were straight forward. Things like his species, physical capabilities, moveset, and personality traits were all scanned onto the device. It's amazing that a simple light scan can tell me this much about him. But one thing that I did notice was that there was a nickname parameter that was empty. Considering that Juniper made this translator, I'm surprised that she couldn't surmise the pokemon's name using the same technology. Regardless, I quickly input Yarne's name into the database, and turn back to see him wobbling on the floor and looking like he's about to fall over. Poor guy must've been disoriented from looking the bright light. So, I walked over to him and scooped him into my arms as I made my way to the exit.

I left the lab, and Cheren and Bianca shortly followed. They looked ecstatic now that they're finally going to leave the town. They rushed ahead of me, saying something about waiting at the entrance of the route for me so that we could all take our first step into the world together. Sounds corny, but cute at the same time, so I have no problem with it. But before I go, I wanted to take one last look at the quaint town where I've lived in for the past 16 years of my life. The fresh sea breeze is something that I'll miss, but at the same time, it always made me feel like something was coming. Guess that something is this adventure. Taking one last breath of the fresh ocean air, I make my way towards the route with a new friend in hand, wondering what awaits us in the wilderness outside of this little town.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Route 1 Revelations**

The first thing I noticed about route 1 was the pleasantly quaint feel that it had. The combination of the falling autumn leaves coloring the route in shades of red, yellow, and orange, the small shore that leads into the seascape, and all of the small pokemon scurrying about in the grass gave this place a welcoming vibe; almost like the route and all of its contents were an extension of Nuvema town. Cheren and Bianca were waiting not too far away from the gates from Nuvema Town, and before I could take a step ahead of them, Bianca grabbed my arm and stopped me right there, looking a bit frustrated at my actions.

"Hey, did you forget already? You promised that we'd take our first step out of Nuvema Town together! Don't be so thoughtless, okay?" Oh yeah, that thing. Slipped my mind for a seconds; guess I was a bit too entranced with the scenery. I shot Bianca a nervous smile and scratched my head as a way to show that I messed up there, and on that note, Cheren and Bianca both took one of my hands.

"Well, now that that's all said and done, Let's head out, shall we? Professor Juniper's waiting for us up ahead."

"Yup, let's go on my count! One, two, go!"

Bianca took one big step forward, with Cheren and I stumbling a bit as she transitioned into a rather quick jog. We managed to regain our footing after a little bit, and we marveled at the natural beauty of the route before seeing Professor Juniper near a clearing in the route.

"Great to see that everyone's here, joined hand in hand at the start of their journey! Now then, before I start the capture tutorial, I have one helpful tip regarding the pokedex. It'll give you rudimentary information upon seeing the pokemon, but all of the detailed information will only be revealed upon capture. So, make sure you listen to this here tutorial and capture a bunch of little guys for your task." After that little spiel, Juniper wandered into the grass and found a lone Patrat foraging for some acorns that fell from the trees around the area. "Okay, now that you found your target, you have to weaken it a bit before going for the capture. Once it's kinda weak, just keep chucking pokeballs at it until it works. Here, I'll show ya."

Juniper reached for her belt and grabbed the lone pokeball strapped to it. Upon throwing the pokeball, it revealed a cute chinchilla that my pokedex revealed to be a Minccino. Juniper then pointed towards the oblivious little Patrat and ordered the Minccino to pound it. The poor Patrat was beaten into a quivering mess without doing much other than confusedly yelling about the fact that he was getting attacked before Juniper chucked a ball at it. It captured on the first attempt; not really surprising considering the nature of what she just captured.

"And that class, is how you capture a pokemon! Now with that example out of the way, here are some more presents! Some pokeballs for you guys to start on your capturing adventure! Here, take them and have fun, since I'll be going ahead! Meet me at the Accumula Town pokemon center for more info!" She shoved a bunch of pokeballs into our arms in a similar fashion to the pokedexes before running ahead to the end of the route. Her Minccino lagged behind her impressive running speed, but they were both out of our field of view after a few moments. Once they were both out of view, Cheren stepped forward before turning to face us.

"Well, that happened. I'll be heading out to Accumula Town as well; there doesn't seem to be much to this route."

"Hey, wait a sec! I thought of something fun to do! Since we just got these pokeballs, we might as well get used to using them! Let's have a contest: whoever has the most pokemon by the end of this route is the winner!"

"And what exactly do we win Bianca?"

"Nothing!"

"..." Cheren seemed stunned at the response, but quickly regained his composure to shoot her a disgruntled look. "Well, I don't really see a problem with that, so I guess I'll play along. Well, see you guys at the end of the route. I'll be waiting at the gates to see the results." After finishing his statement, he released Veritas from his pokeball and the pair started trudging through the tall grass.

"Hey, don't just rush ahead without us! Tepig, come on! We'll do our best for sure and come out on top!" Brom rushed out of his pokeball and started wildly charging towards the grass. Bianca seemed a bit frazzled at the fact that he just charged ahead without her, and she followed him, yelling at the pig to wait up.

And then there were two. Yarne was perched on my shoulder the entire time, donning a rather nervous look. "Hey, we don't have to be quite so brutal in battles like her, do we? That was pretty cruel, what she did back there. The Patrat was only a kid." I shook my head and that gave Yarne a little boost. But before I ventured off into the tall grass, I heard a small rumbling sound coming from my shoulder. "Oh…, hehe. Guess I'm a little hungry." Well, I guess we could take a little break before going on a catching spree. I didn't exactly have time to eat breakfast thanks to Cheren barging into my room, and all of the excitement that followed that.

Finding a small clearing in the route, I put my stuff down and started digging through my backpack, taking out my sketchpad and the boxed lunch. The box was still in pristine condition, and upon opening the box, it revealed a bunch of tasty looking sandwiches, all with a variety of different fillings. Picking out a random one, I tore it in half before giving one of the halves to Yarne. He looked ecstatic as he took the half and dove into it face first. He seemed to be enjoying it, so that's nice. Mom's cooking was always pretty on point.

After polishing off most of the sandwiches, our hunger was sated and we were poised to continue on our journey. I packed up the lunch box and went to go place it into my backpack. Only problem was that my backpack wasn't where I last left it. Huh, weird. I tapped Yarne on the head to get his attention, and drew a picture of my backpack with a question mark next to it on my sketchpad. Upon showing him the drawing, he looked around for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. So, he didn't know either. Well then, that's a problem. Standing up, I motion Yarne to follow me as I started patrolling the area near the clearing.

My backpack turned out to be behind a couple of trees near the clearing. That's a relief, it would've been awful if some random person decided to take my stuff right as my journey began. I opened it up and saw that basically everything was untouched. But, that's odd, why would my bag get moved all the way over here for no reason at all? Oh well, things happen, and sometimes, it's better not to question them. I grabbed one of the straps on the bag, and that's when I realized that something was off. The strap was covered in some sort of sticky substance, and now my hand is all gummed up with the stuff. I tried shaking my hand off to try to get the stuff off, but that didn't work, and when I balled up my hand in a fist for a moment, I couldn't get it out of that position. Okay, this was getting kind of frustrating, and I probably looked annoyed as well with my flailing about. Placing my sketchbook on the ground, I used my one functioning hand to draw a picture of a water droplet before showing it to Yarne. I pointed to the drawing, then pointed to my gummed up hand, and he seemed to get the hint. Stepping away from my book, I extended my hand and Yarne let out a gentle stream of water. Luckily, that goopy substance seems to wash off really easily, but still, that was kind of annoying. But after washing off my hand and having Yarne get the stuff off of my backpack strap, he seemed to have notice something.

"Hey, don't you hear something nearby? It's like someone's moving in the grass, and I could hear their voice slightly as well."

It was then that I noticed a rustle in a nearby bush as well as a very faint voice. It almost sounded like… giggling. So, someone decided to have some fun at my expense, huh? Well, it's time to have some fun of my own then. Tapping Yarne's head again, I point towards the drawing then point towards the rustling bush. He nodded and unleashed a small spray of water, completely soaking the bush. And right on queue, a small dog with a spray bottle in his mouth emerged from the soaked bush. Mr. pokedex here says that this is a Lillipup, and contrary to the image that it provided me with, this one looked rather impassive compared to the usually excitable temperament of the species. Placing the bottle on the floor and shaking off the excess water that covered his fur. he started making his way towards us before stopping to have say something.

"Well, that was rather rude. But it is understandable, considering the course of action that I took earlier. I assure you, there was no ill intent behind the gift that I bestowed upon you, and you have my sincerest apologies if you were at all offended by it. It was all for the sake of good humor, and the substance that I sprayed on the strap was nothing more than a potion. It's nothing harmful in the slightest, I guarantee it." Bowing his head after his last statement, it seemed like he was pretty sincere and clear cut with his actions. Seems odd that someone as polite as this guy would pull a prank like that, but I'm not one to judge. He seems like a nice enough guy, and considering that I'm going to need to assemble a team to challenge the league, now's as good a time as ever to start. Crouching down to his level, I smile and extend a hand to him. He took this as an invitation to get closer, and I used that as an opportunity to start petting his head. He seemed to like it, closing his eyes in pleasure for a moment before regaining his composure and deadpan expression. "My apologies again sir, I'm afraid that I let myself get complacent. Please heed that moment of weakness no mind." I let out a silent giggle at that remark; this little guy seemed way too formal for such an adorable species, and it's pretty endearing. Reaching to my pocket and pulling out one of the pokeballs that Juniper gave me earlier, I extend it towards the Lillipup as an offer to join my team. "Oh, so you wish for me to join you on your journey? Well, I refuse to serve a weak master, so I'll need to test you beforehand. Best me in a battle, and I will accompany you sir." Well, that's a challenge if I've ever heard one, so I motion for Yarne to come over here and begin the showdown.

Typing in my Xtransceiver, I gave Yarne the command to tackle him, and simply repeated that command for the entire battle. The battle was quick and kind of brutal, with the entirety of the fight being the two of them bashing against each other. But in the end, Yarne came out on top with relative ease, and I walked over to the Lillipup to start applying some potion on his wounds.

"So, you've won the duel. You're quite powerful, despite your shrinking demeanor sir Oshawott. However, as per my promise, I will be joining you on your quest. My name is Wilhelm, and it's a pleasure meeting you." Seems like he's pretty content with coming along with us, so after I finished applying the medicine, I tapped Wilhelm on the head with the pokeball, solidifying Wilhelm's position on my team. Reading through the pokedex's output on him, it wasn't a surprise that Yarne didn't have much trouble with him, considering that Yarne was at a power level of six versus Wilhelm's level two. Oh well, that just means that Wilhelm has a little bit of catching up to do in terms of training.

But before any more training, I remembered that I agreed to Bianca's capture contest. The only types of pokemon that seem to be in this route are Lillipup and Patrat, and since variety is the spice of life, I decided to try my luck at finding and catching a Patrat. This contest doesn't really mean anything, but I want to at least humor the girl. After prowling about the tall grass for a bit, there lied a lone Patrat, basking in the midday sun. The little guy didn't seem to notice us approaching him, so he couldn't really retaliate when I told Wilhelm to tackle him into the ground. It was a brief scuffle, but the Patrat went down easily enough. Motioning for Wilhelm to come back after he beat the Patrat into the dust, I pulled out another pokeball from my pokeball and prepared to capture him. But as I was about to throw the ball, a painful jolt shocked the right side of my body, causing me to flinch in pain while a voice started ringing in my head.

 _"THE PACT HAS BEEN MADE, AND YOU MUST ABIDE BY OUR RULES NOW."_

Wait, what? Pact? Rules? What kind of nonsense is that? I don't remember signing any legally binding contract, and I certainly didn't want some disembodied voice yelling at me. Rearing back to throw the pokeball again, I was met with another shock, only this one was quite a bit higher in intensity.

 _"IT WOULD BE WISE TO HEED MY WARNING, LEST YOU WANT TO LOSE YOUR ARM."_

Really? I wouldn't have guess. But what rules is this guy talking about. Considering the fact that he seems to be a voice in my head, I start thinking about the words I want to tell the guy.

 _"What exactly are there rules I need to follow? I didn't exactly get a memo saying that I was restricted from doing anything on my journey, and I certainly wasn't informed of a creepy voice haunting my mind."_

 _"THERE ARE CERTAIN STIPULATIONS THAT ONLY YOU WILL HAVE TO FOLLOW THROUGHOUT YOUR JOURNEY. AS YOU SO GRACIOUSLY DEMONSTRATED RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE FORBIDDEN FROM CAPTURING ANY POKEMON PAST THE FIRST ONE YOU ENCOUNTER. TRY AGAIN, AND YOU'LL BE MET WITH A TERRIBLE FATE. THERE WILL BE OTHER RULES THAT APPEAR IN DUE TIME, SO GET USED TO THIS ONE RULE. HAVE FUN, AND DON'T GET YOURSELF KILLED."_

On that note, the shocks stopped and the rude voice in my head was gone. That was certainly a grim experience, and that must've been really strange for Yarne and Wilhelm to experience, considering the fact that I was unresponsive for a good couple of moments. At this point, the Patrat recovered and fled from us while Yarne and Wilhelm were just staring at me with concerned looks on their faces.

"Master, are you quite alright? You seem rather fatigued. Perhaps we should rest up for a moment?"

"Yeah, Wilhelm's right. You've been acting funny while you were trying to catch that Patrat. You were spazzing out and it was kind of spooky."

Well, they weren't wrong, and I was feeling a bit tired after that entire experience, so it was break time again. After sitting down and catching our breath for a moment, I decided to tell them about the strange experience that I just had with the disembodied voice with my Xtransceiver. The whole spiel about a pact, rules, and possible threats seemed to scare Yarne a fair bit, but Wilhelm remain steadfast. The journey's cracking up to be a bit more hazardous than anticipated, but at least it won't be boring. After resting up a bit more and having Yarne tell Wilhelm about us and the purpose of our journey, we set off for the end of the route, leaving a trail of beat up Lillipup and Patrat in our wake.

The end of the route wasn't that far off from where we were resting, and there we saw Bianca playing with her newly found Lillipup while Cheren was petting a little purple kitten. Pokedex says that the kitten is a dark type called a Purrloin, and they aren't typically found in this route here. Guess Cheren got lucky, or rushed ahead of us into route 2 without us knowing. Either way, it didn't matter too much to me or to Bianca's little contest. Speaking of which, after Bianca noticed that I was coming up to the end of the route, she ran up to me with her Lillipup in hand as she practically threw the poor guy at Wilhelm. She was raving on about how they're gonna be the best of friends, just like our little group, but I tuned her out after a bit. Wilhelm didn't seem too bothered by this, as Bianca's Lillipup was quite a bit more mellow compared to his air headed trainer, so they had a nice chat while Bianca was having a moment. But, after her whole spiel about friendship and whatnot, she remembered about the little contest that she proposed earlier and came to the conclusion that everyone was a winner. There were cheers and hypothetical confetti was strewn about, but that was all. The important thing at the moment was the fact that we arrived at the entrance of a big, new town. It was a fair bit bigger than Nuvema, with it's apartment complexes and arching hills, but it'll be fun to wander about the place. I looked town towards my party and gave them a nod of approval as we marched forwards towards the town.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Accumulating Worries**

Moving past the wilderness of route 1, we've reached a town not too dissimilar from our humble home. Houses and apartment complexes litter the hilly landscape, resulting in a city marked by its inconsistent heights and vantage points. Aesthetic wise, it's a quaint and interesting little town, but the matter of importance at the moment is meeting Professor Juniper at the pokemon center. Cheren decided to move on ahead, saying that he knew all about the logistics behind the pokemon center, so he went to tour the town and meet the townsfolk. That left me, Bianca, and our respective pokemon companions as we wandered through the town.

Finding the pokemon center wasn't particularly difficult as it was only a few yards away from the town's entrance. That combined with its conspicuous red design made for a really easy objective to find. But, the professor was waiting outside of the center, donning a grin as she was waving to us.

"Hey slowpokes! Guess you guys lost track of time playing with your new pokemon buddies, huh? Well, here we are at the cornerstone of every trainer's needs: the pokemon center! Come on, I'll show you two around!" And just like that, she disappeared within the automatic doors of the center. Bianca seemed hyped about this place, since she ran ahead of me as soon as Juniper stepped inside. But, there's no use in waiting out here, so I motion my pokemon to follow me as I step into the building.

It was nice and cozy within the pokemon center, with a ton of people lounging around the furnished lobby or utilizing the place's services. With it's myriad of merchants, technology, and general hospitality, it's no wonder that trainers love pokemon centers so much. Juniper and Bianca chatting up a storm by the nurse, and didn't seem to notice me until I talked right in front of them.

"There you are! While you were busy wandering about, I've already told Bianca about the basics of the pokemon center. The jist of it is that if it exists, a pokemon center will probably provide it for you. Food, a bed, you name it, the pokemon center will give it to ya. You're a sharp kid, so you should be able to figure out how to use the facilities on your own. But now, how bout a live demonstration of the healing function of this place, since you're gonna be using it pretty often in your journey. Go ahead, give the nice nurse over here your pokemon."

Looking back to Yarne and Wilhelm, they smiled at me as I returned them to their pokeballs and handed them to the nice lady. She quickly put the balls on the healing machine and after it let out a couple beeps and boops, my pokemon were supposedly healed and the nurse returned them to me with a smile. I'll check up on those two after Juniper's done giving her explanation on the pokemon center.

"See, not so hard now is it? Well, aside from the healing aspect of the pokemon center, the other important parts are the pc and the marketplace, but utilizing those are pretty straightforward. The pc has a manual near it if you're ever confused, and the market staff will be more than happy to help you find what you need. But with that all said and done, I've gotta go. Research needs to be done and all. But before I go, I can direct you guys on who to meet next. Go to Striaton City and meet a girl named Fennel. She's a friend of mine and is quite a smart cookie. She'll help you out with whatever she can, and you could go challenge the gym while you're there. Well then, I'm off!"

She wasn't lying when she said that as she ran right off after her little speech. That left me and Bianca, who quickly left me behind to browse the pokemart's wares. Well, guess I'm alone again. Finding an empty seat by the lounge of the pokemon center, I sit down and let out Yarne and Wilhelm. Something seemed off about them; almost like they were ill or something. I cock my head in confusion; I thought that this place was supposed to heal pokemon, not make them ill.

"Laika….. that was awful. That thing made me feel all tingly and weird and stuff. Can we not do that again?"

"I concur with Sir Yarne. That device over there was quite unpleasant. It may have healed our wounds, but something about it does not seem right. I'd avoid it if we're given the opportunity to."

I nodded in agreement, but that's still really weird to me. Everyone else's pokemon seemed fine with the healing, or maybe they're all adverse to it and people just can't see that. Sounds like something I'll add to my bucket list of things to research during this adventure. But enough of that, I have to go mess with the store and pc.

Upon walking up to the clerk, he simply presented me with a menu of items, complete with descriptions and price labels. Well, that's nice and all, but seems a bit weird for a store. I expected them to be a bit more social as a clerk, but hey, whatever floats their boat. I just pointed to the items I wanted and raised some fingers to denote the amount that I wanted. In the end, I got the supplies I wanted for a reasonable price, so all is well.

The pc was equally as straightforward. There was a manual that explained every facet on how to use the pc, although it never did mention who the creator of the pc system was, or where the pokemon go for that matter. I assume that they're stored in some database as a little chunk of data like how pokemon are stored in pokeballs, but that seems a bit inhumane as they'd be in a catatonic state for Arceus knows how long. Hopefully they're in a better place than that and that the pokemon that I eventually have to store there will be happy with their living conditions. But now that I looked through both the market and the pc, there's little reason for me to be here anymore, so I got up and started making my way for the exit.

I would've left the door, but I turned around and noticed that Wilhelm had a medicine bottle in his mouth like when I first met him. Crouching down, I put my hand in front of him, expecting him to give me the bottle. He complied, and upon further inspection, I saw that it was full heal; something that wasn't sold in this area. How he managed to get a hold of this was perplexing, and the confused expression on my face seemed to have prompted Wilhelm to say something.

"In case you're wondering, and you certainly appear to be, I have quite a knack for spotting abandoned items. You could call this scavenging a hobby of mine. It's truly baffling just how many useful items get abandoned by people on a daily basis, so I've made it a duty of mine to collect and use them in whatever way that I can, even if it's not their intended purpose. Our first encounter was a testament to that fact. However, I'll report whatever items I find to you from now on, as you'll be able to use them as something other than an adhesive to annoy people with." Hm, that's certainly useful, and it gave me some insight on Wilhelm as a person. Slowly but surely, I'll get to know more and more about my party, and that'll be an adventure in itself. But enough lollygagging, I've got people to meet and pokemon to catch!

Stepping out of the pokemon center, I see Cheren waving at me within a crowd of people. There are some strange people dressed in knight costumes in the middle of the town square setting up some banners with a freaky looking man pacing back and forth as directing their movements. That group was perplexing; their leader looked like he was wearing a castle that's having an acid trip and the rest of them look like they've come straight out of a children's picture book. All of this seemed a bit surreal, but it's happening. I walked over to Cheren and right when I was about to type something to him, the freaky guy started his speech.

"Hello everyone. My name is Ghetsis and I come here today to speak on the behalf of Team Plasma. We are a group dedicated to the protection of pokemon, and we come here today to spread word of pokemon liberation." The last statement sparked a bit of discussion amongst the crowd. Mainly people questioning what he means by that, with the occasional person questioning the group's looks rather than the subject matter. But, Ghetsis raised his hand in an authoritative manner and the crowd's attention was back on him and his technicolored robe.

"Ahem, now that I have your attention again, I'd like to speak about pokemon liberation. We claim pokemon as our partners and companions, but what if that statement is just a lie we tell ourselves to hide from a much harsher truth? Have you people not once thought about the conditions we put our pokemon companions through? We force them to fight and perform menial tasks on our behalf without any say in the matter. Pokemon are subjected to the selfish desires of man, despite being fundamentally different beings. They're beings with potential much greater than ours, and we feel that it's our duty to liberate these creatures from people for them to achieve that glorious potential. Brothers, sisters, I implore you to heed my words! Release your pokemon and inspire others to do the same, for it will usher in a period of new growth for pokemon everywhere! This is the correct way, nay, the only way for us to progress as a moral society, and we sincerely thank you for your attention in this matter." Upon uttering his final words, the little knight troupe systematically picked up their props and marched off in a structured formation surrounding Ghetsis. But once he left, an uproar of discussion filled the town square, with people debating about the validity of Ghetsis' statements. The debate of releasing versus not releasing became the talk of the town for a while before the townsfolk realized that there were more productive means of spending their time and dispersed. Cheren and I were among the few that remained in town square, and he seemed to be in deep thought, not really taking notice to me looking at him. Since he's lost in his own thoughts, I look down at Yarne and Wilhelm talking amongst themselves before taking notice of me. Yarne looked pretty worried while Wilhelm had his same stoic expression.

"Hey Laika, what that weird man said back there was kind of concerning. Are people really mistreating us by coexisting, cuz it sure doesn't feel like it. As far as I'm aware, it's nice being with you and the others, despite our adventure not even being a day long yet. Everyone I've met so far has been pretty pleasant, but I'm not sure about everything now that the weird looking guy raised some questions. What do you think about all of this?"

Honestly, I could see how people would think the way that Team Plasma does, since the main sport of this world is essentially glorified cockfighting. But in spite of this, pokemon stick by our sides through all of the battles and grow to show affection for us. Unless every pokemon in history developed stockholm's syndrome or something, the statistic of happy pokemon in relation to human interaction can't be ignored. There are two very reasonable sides to both arguments, but I'm honestly not sure about which side I'm on, so I shrug my shoulders to answer Yarne's question.

"Huh, so you're not sure either? Hm…. Well, I guess that we shouldn't worry about it too much right then. We'll find the answer eventually, but until then, let's just carry on. At the very least, we'll make some memories, good or bad. We've already made some, and I'm glad to be on this journey with you, so that's all the validation I need right now." Upon hearing his last statement, I knelt down and started petting Yarne in approval. He snuggled into my hand again, and Wilhelm chuckled slightly upon seeing Yarne getting so affectionate. We're already like a family, despite the short amount of time we've spent together, and it's really nice. But as we were having a lighthearted moment, a boy with long green hair started walking up to us. Quite frankly, he seemed shocked before he started addressing me.

"Hey, your pokemon… Just now, it was saying that..."

"Whoa, slow down for a moment. What was that about pokemon... talking? That's quite an odd thing to say, considering that pokemon communicate through repeating their own names." Cheren interjected as the guy was speaking. What this guy is saying is confusing to the both of us, but for different reasons. Cheren can't understand pokemon speech, so him talking as if he could understand would be weird, but I'm confused on how this guy can understand pokemon at all. He doesn't look like he has an apparatus for pokemon speech translation like I do.

"Oh, so you two can't understand them. What a shame. Yes, they are in fact talking, and speaking quite highly of your friend here. Allow me to introduce myself; my name is N."

"N, like the letter? Quite an unusual name. Anyways, my name is Cheren and my companion here is named Laika. Both of us are on a journey to complete the pokedex for Professor Juniper, but that's just a side objective for me. I'm aiming to become the pokemon league champion."

"The pokedex, eh? So, you're going to imprison countless pokemon in these infernal pokeballs for your task, are you not? While I am a trainer, I can't help but feel like all of this is wrong. Are pokemon really happy living in these mechanical cages? They're my friends, but I also trap them here against their wills. You, Laika, right? Your pokemon… they seem to adore you, and I need to hear their voice again!" Upon saying those last words, he revealed a single pokeball and tossed it, releasing a Purrloin that was poised for battle. You know, if he really wanted to hear Yarne speak, he could've just sat down and talked to him rather than battling, but hey, I don't make the rules here. I motion for Yarne to step forward and accept N's challenge.

The battle that followed was quick and one sided. It's a well known fact that cats don't like water, and that seems doubly so when water is being ejected at them at high speeds. The Purrloin laid in the middle of town square drenched and unconscious while Yarne was essentially untouched. I motion for Yarne to come back, and give him a congratulatory hug as a reward for winning the match. N seemed to have noticed this and grimaced as he returned his purrloin to its pokeball.

"Why? Why is it that they love you so much if you're subjecting them to this fighting? Pokemon will never be perfect beings so long as they're trapped in pokeballs." N was mumbling this to himself, but Wilhelm seemed to have noticed and used this as an opportunity to rebuttal.

"It's because Master Laika is a good person. We may be stored in pokeballs from time to time, but we appreciate what he's doing for us. He's a kind soul that understands us and provides for us and we in turn appreciate him for his efforts. It's as simple as that, really." N was again taken aback by the fact that my pokemon spoke so highly of me, but he seemed to be a very single minded person from what I've gathered from him. The fact that my pokemon appreciate me for who I am is probably shattering his precious ideals.

"You… I don't understand how you manage to get your pokemon to like you so much, but it's irrelevant now. I have a goal in mind, and I'll change the world in order to realize it." And with that, N turned around and headed towards the exit of the town. What a strange guy, but I don't think he's much of a threat. He seemed nice when he wasn't obsessing over what my party members were saying. But while I was thinking about all this, I noticed some noise and I turned to see Cheren clapping at me for my victory.

"Bravo Laika. That was quite a decisive victory on your part. But that man… He was a rather odd person, but I wouldn't listen to the drivel that he was spouting. Pokemon and people are in a symbiotic relationship with each other, so there's no issue in us being together. Anyways, I'm going to head out to the next route. The day's still young and if I make haste, I'll be able to battle the Striaton city gym before the day ends. I'd recommend you do the same. The gym challenge is the best way for a trainer to strengthen their pokemon team. Well, good luck, and I'll see you again soon!"

Well, Cheren zoomed off again, and now it's just me and my party again. It would be a shame to just leave the area before exploring a bit, so I motion for Yarne and Wilhelm to follow me as I make my way through the hills and buildings of Accumula Town. The people were friendly and made for some nice conversation, even if they were one sided due to my inability to speak. Regardless, I was surprised at how positively the townsfolk responded to me essentially breaking into their homes without any prior notice. I mean, I don't think most people are fine with a stranger just waltzing into their home and playing pokemon rock-paper-scissors with their daughter and even giving said stranger a pokeball as a parting gift. Maybe it's a cultural thing?

But aside from that, one person in particular stuck out to me when I was exploring the town. It was an older woman who seemed to be a bit inspired after the whole Team Plasma debacle. She told me that she was thinking about how as long as differing people exist, different perspectives will also exist. Although we may side with one or the other, no one can really deem if a perspective is right or not. They could both be right or wrong, but we can't really say much since we're only human; a species that is flawed by nature. It was kind of random that this woman started telling a stranger all of this, but it was actually quite welcoming considering what just happened. It gave me a little peace of mind; I don't know what to believe after the whole Team Plasma speech, but it's not necessarily a bad thing that I didn't make my mind.

Exploring the town took quite a long time, and I wanted to make one last stop before venturing forward towards route 2. Climbing up the stairs to the biggest hill in the town, I lean over the railings near the edge of the hill in order to get a good view of what's ahead. The height lets me get a nice view of all of the greenery and people that litter route 2. The setting sun and the autumn leaves bathe the route in a warm orange hue that's really quite pleasant to look at. That combined with the mellow piano tune that's coming out of the house on the hill makes for a really ambient scene. It's moments like this that make journeys memorable, and this invigorates me to keep going forward. I look down and see Yarne and Wilhelm peering through the gaps in the railings, trying to get a good view. I think Yarne might've pushed his face a bit too close to the railings however, since his nose got stuck in there. I let out a silent giggle as I reached down and pulled him out of his predicament. But now that I'm crouching down anyways, I decided to help out my party members. First, I grabbed Wilhelm and perched him on my shoulder and then I picked up Yarne and plopped him on top of my head. Once I stood back up, I could hear Yarne wowing at the enhanced view while Wilhelm said a quick thanks to me for the lift. It was honestly my pleasure; hearing Yarne getting so excited for this was worth the small amount of effort it took.

After a few more moments of taking in the view, I decided that it might be time to start heading out. But before that happens, I want to say something to my party. Typing in the message into my Xtransceiver, a voice that was devoid of emotion reverbed throughout the hill.

"LET'S KEEP MOVING FORWARD SO WE COULD MAKE MORE MEMORIES LIKE THIS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S UP AHEAD, BUT LET'S EXPERIENCE IT TOGETHER, AS A TEAM."

The coldness of the voice masked the warm intention of my words, but it still got the message across. Yarne was grinning from ear to ear, agreeing with my sentiments while Wilhelm did the same, minus all of the emoting. On that note, we left the hill that was blessed by the sun's rays and made our way towards the gates of route 2.


End file.
